Jack Doohan speaks out after fake social media post: ‘stop harassing my family’
Jack Doohan Calls for Online Trolls to Stop Targeting His Family
Australian driver Jack Doohan has issued a heartfelt plea urging online trolls to leave his family out of baseless controversies after a doctored social media post surfaced this week. The fabricated post falsely implicated his father, legendary motorcycle racer Mick Doohan, in allegedly mocking fellow Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto.
The controversy erupted following the Formula 1 race weekend in Imola, where Doohan was replaced by Argentine driver Franco Colapinto in the Alpine team. Colapinto's debut proved to be a challenging one, highlighted by a heavy crash during qualifying. Shortly after the incident, an image posted by the parody account Formulafakers depicted a false Instagram story, supposedly shared by Mick Doohan, showing a still from Colapinto’s crash with laughing emojis and the caption, "very impressive."
The post was entirely fabricated. However, it quickly went viral, even receiving attention from media outlets in Colapinto’s home country of Argentina.
Jack Doohan Responds to the Fake Image
Jack Doohan directly addressed the issue on his Instagram account, calling out the fake image and the harassment it triggered toward his family.
"As you can clearly see, the story circulating above is completely false," Doohan wrote, accompanying his post with a screenshot of the fake image. "It was fabricated by Argentine fans attempting to portray me and my family in a negative light. They edited the original content to make it appear as though my father posted it, which is entirely untrue. Please stop harassing my family."
The 20-year-old added, "This type of content is so damaging," in a follow-up post to emphasize the toll such misinformation causes.
Although the initial source of the parody was claimed to have originated from an unrelated location, Doohan was quick to clarify the spread of the image. "The source is not Argentine," he wrote. "However, multiple Argentine outlets falsely reported the fabricated image, which triggered the online abuse."
Doohan’s Future in Formula 1
While Jack Doohan remains part of the Alpine team as a reserve driver, his Formula 1 future appears precarious. The Australian was sidelined after just six races this season in favor of Colapinto. Initially, Alpine's announcement indicated Colapinto would take over the car for five races. However, Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore later contradicted the statement, remarking that Colapinto could "drive forever" if he continues to meet expectations in his new role.
"It’s obviously disappointing for Jack," said a source close to the team. "But that’s the nature of this sport—it’s brutally competitive."
Alpine Condemns Fan Behavior
In response to the fabricated post and the subsequent online attacks on Doohan's family, Alpine released a strongly worded statement condemning the conduct of some fans.
"As an F1 team, we believe we are fortunate to be part of a global sport that evokes great passion and emotions, with an ever-growing community of fans who enthusiastically follow their favorite drivers' every move, whether it be a brave overtake on track or what style they are sporting when they arrive in the paddock. We encourage everyone to remember that behind the visor of these superhuman athletes there is a person—an individual with feelings, family, friends, and loved ones. As a team, we cannot condone online abuse and urge all fans of this sport we love to be kind and respectful."
It remains to be seen what lies ahead for Jack Doohan, but what’s clear is his determination to protect his family from undue stress and hostility. "I can handle the pressure of this sport," Doohan seemed to suggest in his posts. "But leave my family out of it."
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